Reduction of pathogens for food in packaging

ABSTRACT

A system for reducing pathogens for food in packaging comprises a bagger and pathogen reducer. The bagger is for inserting a food item into a package. The pathogen reducer is for reducing pathogens by exposing the food item and the package with the food item inside using infrared energy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consumer demand for improvements in the quality and safety of processedfoods has steadily driven conventional operations to change in the foodindustry. Currently, preservatives are added to packaged food to inhibitthe growth of bacteria, yeasts, molds, and other spoilage organisms andextend shelf life without reducing quality. Packaging food in a mannerfree of spoilage organisms is very difficult due to their ubiquity inour environment; conducting the packaging process in a completelysterile environment would be prohibitively expensive. However, consumersdesire packaged food that has fresh-like characteristics without the useof food preservatives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system forreduction of pathogens for food in packaging.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a food packagingand exposure system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a food exposure oven.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process forreduction of pathogens for food in packaging.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as aprocess, an apparatus, a system, a composition of matter, a computerreadable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computernetwork wherein program instructions are sent over optical orcommunication links. In this specification, these implementations, orany other form that the invention may take, may be referred to astechniques. A component such as a processor or a memory described asbeing configured to perform a task includes both a general componentthat is temporarily configured to perform the task at a given time or aspecific component that is manufactured to perform the task. In general,the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be altered within thescope of the invention. As used herein, the term ‘processor’ refers toone or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores configured toprocess data, such as computer program instructions.

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention isprovided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate theprinciples of the invention. The invention is described in connectionwith such embodiments, but the invention is not limited to anyembodiment. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims andthe invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications andequivalents. Numerous specific details are set forth in the followingdescription in order to provide a thorough understanding of theinvention. These details are provided for the purpose of example and theinvention may be practiced according to the claims without some or allof these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technicalmaterial that is known in the technical fields related to the inventionhas not been described in detail so that the invention is notunnecessarily obscured.

A system for reduction of pathogens for food in packaging is disclosed.The system comprises a bagger or bagging machine and a pathogen reducer(e.g., a gate opens and the product falls and the bag fills). The baggerinserts a food item into a package. The pathogen reducer reducespathogens by exposing the food item and the package with the food iteminside to infrared energy for heating of the item.

In some embodiments, a preservative free food item (e.g., a prune) issterilized using exposure of the preservative free food item and packagecontaining the preservative free food item. The food item and packageare heated by exposure to an infrared source. The infrared sourceenables delivery of heat to the food item in a bag to sterilize the fooditem without removing an item from the bag or opening the bag.

In some embodiments, the food item is received and is preservative free.In some embodiments, the system comprises a preheater for heating thefood item prior to insertion into the package, where the preheater usessteam (e.g., adding both heat and moisture). In various embodiments, thefood item is put in a package where the package comprises a sealablebag, a plastic bag (e.g., a bag made of oriented polypropylene,polystyrene, or polyethylene), a plastic bag with transmissioncharacteristics acceptable to reducing pathogens (e.g., a bag comprisedof plastic with transmission over 55% for wavelength(s) that itemswithin the bag are exposed to for heating), a sealable bag with a sealthat does not trap air within the seal itself (e.g., using heated sealbars above and below a bag zipper where the top seal is complete theseal below is not complete allowing heated air/moisture to move into thesealed bag and not blowing up the area around the zipper), a gaspermeable package, or any other appropriate package. In variousembodiments, the pathogen reducer reduces pathogens by pasteurization,reduces pathogens to a predetermined acceptable level (e.g., a reductionof pathogens to one part from 10⁷), reduces pathogens to a predeterminedacceptable level for food safety, reduces pathogens to zero pathogens inthe package, sterilizes the package and the food item in the package, orany other appropriate reduction of pathogens. In various embodiments,the infrared energy used to heat the package and the food item in thepackage has a characteristic spectrum over which the package issubstantially transparent (e.g., is able to penetrate the package andcause sufficient heating for reducing pathogens without destroying thepackage, where the package is selected based at least in part on thecharacteristic spectrum or where the characteristic spectrum of theinfrared energy is selected based at least in part on the package—forexample, the transmissivity characteristics of the package material ofabout 70%), the infrared source has a filter that cuts off energydelivered to the food item and package below 650 nm, or any otherappropriate infrared energy or energy source. In some embodiments, theinfrared source comprises a 1000 W and/or a 2500 W T3 Halogen InfraredEmitter. In some embodiments, the system comprises a postheater forheating the package with the food item inside after exposing the packageto maintain the temperature high for reducing pathogens. In someembodiments, the system further comprises a chiller for chilling thepackage with the food item after exposing the package.

The infrared heating of a food item in a bag through the bag using anin-line process contrasts with batch processing by heating up a batch ofbagged food items to reduce pathogens. However, to achieve the desiredreduction of pathogens, this type of process requires a heat and time ofheating that results in the deformation or destruction of the package.

In some embodiments, an energy depositing system for exposing food(e.g., a prune) to infrared light. The food item is preheated using asteamer. The food item is inserted into a package using a bagger. Thepackage with the food item is then exposed to infrared, such that thetemperature of the packaged food rises to the point that any spoilageorganisms (e.g., pathogens heated to 200° F. by exposing the item usingHalogen T3 emitters for 30 seconds) present in the packaged food aredestroyed. After the exposure, the package is maintained at hightemperature (e.g., 3 minutes at 185° F.) to ensure that the spoilageorganisms are further reduced and/or ensured to be destroyed. Thepackage is then chilled (e.g., chilled using a bath at 65-70° F. for 40minutes). A final packaging system is then used to add an externalpackaging (e.g., a crater or bulk packager) to the packaged and infraredexposed food.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system forreduction of pathogens for food in packaging. In the example shown, foodproduction 100 produces food to be packaged, and sends it to foodwarehouse 102, where it is stored before packaging. In variousembodiments, the food to be packaged comprises fruit, meat, vegetable,prepared food, a pastry product, or any other appropriate food. In someembodiments, the food produced by food production 100 is preservativefree. In various embodiments, food warehouse 102 stores food produced byone or more than one different food producers. In various embodiments,food from different producers stored in food warehouse 102 is sorted byproducer, type of food, date produced, or by any other appropriatesorting parameter. Food is transported from food warehouse 102 to foodpackaging and exposure system 104. In some embodiments, food produced byfood production 100 is transported directly to food packaging andexposure system 104 and is not stored between production and packagingand exposure. Food is then packaged (e.g., using a bagger) and exposedby packaging and exposure system 104. In some embodiments, food ispackaged and exposed by packaging and exposure system 104 in such a waythat the food can be distributed and sold safely without the use ofpreservative additives to the food. Food is then transported to foodvendor 106 and sold.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a food packagingand exposure system. In some embodiments, the food packaging andexposure system of FIG. 2 comprises food packaging and exposure system104 of FIG. 1. In the example shown, food enters the food packaging andexposure system and proceeds to food pre-heater 200. Food pre-heater 200heats the food in order to reduce the amount of infrared exposurenecessary in food exposure oven 204 in order to raise the foodtemperature to a desired peak food temperature. In various embodiments,food pre-heater 200 heats the food using a steamer, using an infraredlight, using an electric heating element, using burning gas, or usingany other appropriate heating method or combination of heating methods.In various embodiments, food pre-heater 200 heats the food for aspecific period of time, until the food reaches a specific temperature,or until any other appropriate condition has been met. After heating,the food proceeds to food bagger 202. In some embodiments, foodpre-heater 200 is not used, and food proceeds directly to food bagger202 upon entering the food packaging and exposure system.

Upon receiving a food item, food packager 200 inserts the food item intoa package, and delivers the packaged food item to food exposure oven204. In various embodiments, the package comprises a sealable bag, aplastic bag, a package made from a gas permeable material, a packageselected for its composition material with a high degree of transparencyto the exposure source used by food exposure oven 204, or any otherappropriate packaging criterion. In various embodiments, the package issealed after the food item is inserted into it and before the packagedfood is delivered to food exposure oven 204, the package is sealed insuch a way so air is not trapped within the seal, the package is sealedafter the food has been processed by food exposure oven 204.

In some embodiments, food packager 200 additionally comprises a scalefor weighing the desired content into the package. In variousembodiments, food packager 200 comprises a packaging checker that checksthat the package has been filled appropriately by measuring packageweight, by measuring package volume, by optically examining the package,or using any other appropriate method. In some embodiments, a packagechecker confirms the proper fill weight and is located furtherdownstream in the packaging process. In various embodiments, the scaleis enclosed to retain heat, the packaging checker comprises a scale thatis enclosed to retain heat, the packaging checker and/or scaleassociated with the packaging checker adds heat so that the food item isnot so cold before entering the infrared exposure system, or any otherappropriate configuration of a packaging checker and/or a scale. In someembodiments, food packager 200 additionally comprises a package sealchecker for checking that the package has been sealed properly.

Food exposure oven 204 exposes the packaged food received from foodbagger 202. The exposure process is conducted in order to reducepathogens. In various embodiments, food exposure oven 204 exposes thepackaged food with infrared exposure, exposes the packaged food withinfrared energy chosen at a characteristic spectrum to which the packageused by food bagger 202 has a high degree of transparency, exposes thefood for a specific period of time, exposes the food until the foodreaches a specific temperature, or any other manner of exposing. In someembodiments, the food package is sealed after the food has been exposedby food exposure oven 204. In various embodiments, reducing pathogenscomprises sterilization, pasteurization, reducing pathogens toacceptable levels, reducing pathogens to acceptable levels for foodsafety, reducing pathogens to zero, or any other appropriate pathogenreduction condition. In various embodiments, pathogens comprisebacteria, yeasts, molds, or any other appropriate pathogens.

After the food has been exposed by food exposure oven 204, it istransported to food post-heater 206. Food post-heater 206 heats thepackaged food after exposure by food exposure oven 204. Food post-heater206 heats the food in order to maintain its temperature above a specificpoint for at least a specific amount of time and/or in order to improvethe uniformity of the temperature of the food. In various embodiments,food post-heater heats the packaged food using a steamer, using aninfrared light, using an electric heating element, using burning gas, orusing any other appropriate heating method or combination of heatingmethods. In some embodiments, food post-heater 206 heats the food whileit is in motion. In some embodiments, food post-heater 206 comprises aspiral heater.

After the food has been heated by food post-heater 206, it istransported to food chiller 208.

In some embodiments, food post-heater 206 is not used, and the foodproceeds directly from food exposure oven 204 to food chiller 208. Insome embodiments, food post-heater 206 and food chiller 208 are both notused, and food proceeds directly from food exposure oven 204 to foodfinal packaging 210.

Food chiller 208 comprises a chiller for lowering the temperature of thepackaged food after heating and prior to final packaging. In someembodiments, it is used to lower the temperature to a point that willnot damage the final packaging. In some embodiments, food chiller 208chills the food while it is in motion. In some embodiments, food chiller208 comprises a spiral chiller.

After the food has been chilled by food chiller 208, it is transportedto food final packaging 210. Food final packaging 210 comprises placingthe packaged food into a final package suitable for sale to consumers.Food final packaging 210 comprises a final packaging step for the food.In various embodiments, the final package comprises a box, a bag, a can,or any other appropriate final package. In some embodiments, food finalpackaging 210 seals the package the food was placed in by food bagger202 prior to placing the packaged food in the final package. In someembodiments, food chiller 208 is not used, and food proceeds directlyfrom food post-heater 206 to food final packaging 210. After finalpackaging, the packaged food is delivered to the food vendor (e.g., foodvendor 106 of FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a food exposure oven.In some embodiments, the food exposure system of FIG. 3 comprises foodexposure oven 204 of FIG. 2. In the example shown, packaged food 302sits on conveyor 304 and is moved along the length of exposure oven 300as conveyor 304 moves. Exposure elements 306 are located at the top andbottom of exposure oven 300, and emit energy that is delivered topackaged food 302 as it travels through the length of exposure oven 300.The temperature achieved in the package and/or for the food item in thepackage is monitored using a monitor (e.g., a thermocouple). In someembodiments, the energy emitted by exposure elements 306 is infraredenergy. In some embodiments, exposure elements 306 are T3 infraredlamps. In various embodiments, there are one, two, three, four, or anyother appropriate number of exposure elements 306 along the width ofexposure oven 300 (e.g., in the direction into the page in FIG. 3),and/or there are two, six, fourteen, twenty-four, or any otherappropriate number of exposure elements 306 along the length of exposureoven 300 (e.g., left to right in FIG. 3). In some embodiments, one ormore of exposure elements 306 can be shut off in the event that the foodtemperature crosses a food temperature limit. In some embodiments,exposure elements 306 include reflectors for increasing the fraction ofthe emitted infrared energy that is directed at packaged food 302.

In various embodiments, when conveyor 304 carries packaged food 302 tothe end of exposure oven 300, packaged food 302 exits exposure oven 300and is transported to the food post-heater (e.g., food post-heater 206of FIG. 2), the food chiller (e.g., food chiller 208 of FIG. 2), foodfinal packaging (e.g., food final packaging 210 of FIG. 2), or any otherappropriate next processing step.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process forreduction of pathogens for food in packaging. In some embodiments, theprocess of FIG. 4 is used by a food packaging and exposure system (e.g.,food packaging and exposure system 104 of FIG. 1) for packaging andexposing food. In the example shown, in 400, the food item is insertedinto a package (e.g., using a bagger or bagging machine). In 402, thepackaged food item is exposed. For example, pathogens are reduced byexposing the food item and the package with the food item inside usinginfrared source.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detailfor purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is not limitedto the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementingthe invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and notrestrictive.

1. A system for reducing pathogens for food in packaging, comprising: a bagger for inserting a food item into a package; and a pathogen reducer for reducing pathogens by exposing the food item and the package with the food item inside using infrared energy.
 2. A system as in claim 1, further comprising receiving the food item.
 3. A system as in claim 2, wherein the food item is preservative free.
 4. A system as in claim 1, further comprising a preheater for heating the food item prior to insertion into the package.
 5. A system as in claim 4, wherein the preheater uses steam for heating the food item.
 6. A system as in claim 1, wherein the package comprises a sealable bag.
 7. A system as in claim 6, wherein the sealable bag comprises a plastic bag.
 8. A system as in claim 6, wherein the sealable bag is sealed so as to not trap air within the seal.
 9. A system as in claim 1, wherein the package comprises a gas permeable package.
 10. A system as in claim 1, wherein the pathogen reducer reduces pathogens by sterilization.
 11. A system as in claim 1, wherein the pathogen reducer reduces pathogens by pasteurization.
 12. A system as in claim 1, wherein the pathogen reducer reduces pathogens to a predetermined acceptable level.
 13. A system as in claim 1, wherein the pathogen reducer reduces pathogens to a predetermined acceptable level for food safety.
 14. A system as in claim 1, wherein the pathogen reducer reduces pathogens by reducing pathogens in the package to zero pathogens.
 15. A system as in claim 1, wherein the infrared energy comprises infrared energy with a characteristic spectrum, wherein the package is substantially transparent for the majority of the energy in the characteristic spectrum.
 16. A system as in claim 15, wherein the package is selected based at least in part on the characteristic spectrum of the infrared energy.
 17. A system as in claim 15, wherein the characteristic spectrum of the infrared energy is selected based at least in part on the package.
 18. A system as in claim 1, further comprising a postheater for heating the package with the food item inside after exposing the package.
 19. A method as in claim 1, further comprising a chiller for chilling the package with the food item inside after exposing the package.
 20. A method for reducing pathogens for food in packaging, comprising: is inserting a food item into a package; and reducing pathogens by exposing the food item and the package with the food item inside using infrared energy. 